Blogs for Kit and Kaboodle

Okay so their names really aren't Kit and Kaboodle, they're Kat and Rhea, but these two peas-in-a-pod were so fun to work with. First, they kept an eye on each other's test blogs, each cross-commenting on their own blogs and each other's blogs. Second, they have the same sense of humor. If they weren't separated by 6 states I'd swear they were twins.

Anyway, Kat from Sunshine and Lemonade, is my second redo. I love when clients come back. It makes me feel so loved. Kat is a sassy, spunky, fun blogger who needed some buttons that fit her. My repertoire has grown since I did her blog, so now she's got fun buttons. I also redid her header - same idea just updated.




Rhea is deep in the heart of Texas. Funny, I've always wanted an excuse to refer to someone as "deep in the heart of Texas". ;) Her blog ties in her home state, her family, and her passion for the tangled written word. Check out her button and divider - it's a boot bouquet!



Here is Rhea's button for her blog. If you'd like her button, visit her blog and snag it from her sidebar.

New Blogs - Beth, Bridgette and Sarah

First - don't forget to enter my contest!

It's been awhile since I've been able to post the updates, but I can't not mention them. I have had some fantastic projects lately. I do hope you'll go visit them. It always seems these pictures never do them justice!

Here's is Beth's - visit her blog in person to see the cool circle buttons she picked and the Gothic flourishes. Her blog feels like a library treasure with those old books. Notice the rich colors, and look what she choose for her divider between posts!



This one is soft and subtle, with a touch of romance. Check out Bridgette's "Hunkaroonie". Her background is a sweet, barely-there damask pattern. Those stripes really make it pop! I'm taking notes on San Francisco right now for the BlogHer Convention next month.



This is Sarah's over at Sensibly Sassy. I had fun dressing up Sarah's caricature. First we made sure her laptop was a Mac. We also swapped out the boring black flats for some sassy red heels. Aren't those poppies divine? Oh to be young and sassy cute! ;)



Thanks, girls! I loved these projects. Each of you has a space so different from the others and so uniquely YOU!

High and Dry - CONTEST!

Thank you for the comments and emails. We are high and dry from all of Iowa's crazy flooding. It did set me back a few days on the design queue - I apologize to those of you sitting so patiently (or maybe not so patiently!) in it.

But, good news! I'm hosting a contest! Please head over to my other blog to enter. You can win one of Christa Jean's handmade jewelry pieces from her etsy shop - The Christa Collection. You may recognize Christa's blog; I recently designed her space and she has one of only a handful of animated headers in the blogosphere. Thanks for contesting with me, Christa!

Head on over to www.lifewithmy3boybarians.com!

We will return to regular programming 'round here soon. :)

Spotty Communication

If you've turned on CNN today you can see that parts of Iowa are totally under water, downtown Des Moines is evacuating, Cedar Rapids already has. We are removed enough and high enough to be safe from flooding, but we do risk isolation because all the roads to me have bridges that are nearly spilling over.

So, we've been filling tubs, doing laundry, grocery shopping, vaccuuming, bathing everyone, etc... all the things that need water and power just in case. It's doubtful we'll need it, but precautionary stuff has taken me away from the computer.

I apologize for being so spotty in my communications. If you have emailed me - I will get back to you very soon!

My First Redo

I have now been doing this for a year - can you believe it? Lisa at Koinonia Academy was one of my very first blog makeovers ever - last summer. I have learned so much since doing hers. She is my first "client" who is back for a redo. How fun is that? A repeat customer!

Here is her new final product!



Thanks, Lisa, for giving me another chance at making your space beautiful.

Thanks for Your Help! Tamara, Wendy and Caryn are Live!

Tamara chose a beautiful scrapbook-style layout for her blog Roots & Wings.... Her colors all came together so beautifully. She now has a cutomized place to show off her twin daughters. This one is even more beautiful in person!



Being the mom of "Boybarians", I certainly understand the play on the "Savages" in this family - The Sun-Kissed Savages. They homeschool; dontcha love the nod to the savage education with the arrow through the apples?! This template is styled after my own personal blog, with Wendy's personality.



And lest you think your voice is not heard - it's heard here! You voted and Caryn listened. We chose "Next to the Continent" based on your votes.



Here is her final product , On African Time. It's a beautiful tribute to her homeland of South Africa. Isn't the mask in the shape of Africa fantastic???

Some Mock-Ups For Caryn - We Need Your Vote!

Caryn needs your help! We absolutely loved the African mask in the shape of the content, but we're having trouble deciding about the lettering. So she wants to hear the voice of the people. Please look over these mock-ups and vote above which font style is your favorite for her blog.

Pennants:


Paper Blocks:


Across the Continent:


Next to the Continent:

Designing for Charity

People who know me well know that March of Dimes is my absolute favorite charitable organization. My family has been personally touched by their mission. So when they've got a project for me I always hope I can be of service. The Iowa Chapter is having a Ladies' Gala this summer called "High Heels for High Hopes" to try and raise money for research to prevent prematurity, birth defects and infant and pregnancy loss. I was asked if I could design something for their event. Here is their finished product.

Blogging Tip: How to Make a Clickable Link, or URL link

In my email, I've been asked how to make a link. This is especially useful for your sidebars because Blogger's add a link feature isn't the best. The great news is that it is very simple to make a clickable link.

Let's say you want to link to my blog, Life With My 3 Boybarians. Just like that! You would type:

<a href="http://www.lifewithmy3boybarians.com">Life With My 3 Boybarians</a>

Now let's say you'd like to link back to me here at Graphically Designing. Replace the url (web address) and what you'd like the link to say. It would look like this:

<a href="http://www.graphicallydesigning.com">Graphically Designing</a>

Sometimes you want to link in the middle of a sentence.
"Click here to visit my portfolio!"
Whatever you type after the URL and in between the > and the < will be the clickable words. That sentence looks like this:

Click <a href="http://graphicallydesigningportfolio.blogspot.com/">here</a> to visit my portfolio!

Now you try it! Show the blogosphere how savvy you are!

Surprise! The queue is OPEN!

It's been closed since April - but as of today the queue is open!

I will only accept the first 25 blogs and then I will close it again. The reason I do that is because those at the end will have a long wait time! I can usually only do 2-3 blogs a week. This last time - I had a large number of people who took a place on my queue and either (1) changed their minds (2) went elsewhere for services or (3) changed their emails by the time I got to them. Communication is key - so to avoid any of the above I like to keep the queue short and sweet.

To get in my queue, click the email me button or visit my profile. I look forward to hearing from you!

Mystele and Christa are live. Mock-Ups for Wendy and Tamara

Mystele (rhymes with Michele) is live! Isn't her "little glimpses" project divine? You really have to see it in person. And if you're in the market for beautiful folk art - you've found the right person. Her work is beautiful. And you know what? It's intimidating to do design for an artist. Artists see the world through an aesthetic eye. Hope I was able to give Mystele a place to showcase her talent.



And Christa! Christa, Christa, Christa! Christa over at {transforme}, is also a bucketful of talent and goodness to boot. Her blog MOVES! Head on over to her blog, and keep an eye on her header for about 20 seconds. How cool is that? She really made me flex my design muscles. And, I'll fill you in on a little secret... shhhh! Christa and I are pairing up for a CONTEST! Coming soon - very soon - over at my personal blog, Life With My 3 Boybarians, we will be having a content for one of Christa's gorgeous pieces from her etsy shop. You're the first to know!



Tamara wanted a scrapbook-style, feminine place to showcase the goings-on of her gorgeous twin girls. We used a 3 column template and some scrapbook elements created by Nikki Painter. Her sidebars are still under contruction, but isn't that header fantastic?! Love the colors!




Finally, finally, finally! Someone who appraoches me with, "I really love YOUR blog, Darcy...". There's a first for everything! I made Wendy a template styled after my own LWM3B blog with a floating header and sidebars. The arrow and apples are a play on her "Savages" with the apples as a nod to their homeschooling. Isn't she clever?